Small shops provide an important service to the local community. However, online shopping is forcing many to close. This causes problems that need to be addressed.
The issues surrounding online shopping are complex. In the past, when people needed to buy something, they would wait to visit a shop and buy several things at once. Nowadays, we can have whatever we want brought to our door within a day. Smaller shops feel the effects of this the most, because people will often visit their store but then go online to buy a cheaper alternative. However, the community also suffers. In some places, local high streets now have few interesting shops and many ‘closed’ signs. As a result, the elderly, and anyone without easy access to a computer, are forced to travel further to buy what they need. Even more importantly, door-to-door deliveries require extra packaging and road traffic, which have a damaging effect on the environment. Thus, the impact of shopping online is felt by more than local shop owners.
Nevertheless, there are several possible solutions. Firstly, the smaller shops could adapt and offer an online service to their customers. They can also show that they offer better quality products than the internet can. However, it should not only be the smaller businesses that change. We also need to force the online giants to pay taxes similar to those that physical stores must pay. In addition, the public need to take more responsibility and adopt a more community minded and environmentally aware approach to their shopping. Therefore, these issues can only be resolved with everyone’s cooperation.
In conclusion, evolution has shown the benefits of adapting to change, and this is the best way for local shops to survive. Nevertheless, shoppers also need to stop searching online for cheaper, easier options.